August 12, 2007

365 Days #224 - Bob Larson battles "The Keeper" (mp3)

Bob Larson is a longtime radio minister, based out of Denver, whose emphasis has been on such perennial bogeys of the looney right as subliminal messages hidden in rock records, the straightening of gays, curing Multiple Personality Disorder and exorcising literal demons. Removing the laying on of hands from the equation, he's frequently performed his services via telephone, live on radio.

As such therapies make for inherently compelling radio, it was in Larson's interest to set aside whatever skepticism he might've otherwise had and take on virtually all appeals for his help. Such openness, however, also formed a tacit invitation to pranksters, and indeed Larson's "Talk Back" program, at the height of its popularity in the mid 1980s, was a cacophony of ersatz babblers and overreaching lispers, mixed in with the occasional sincere sufferer.

The recording here, of Larson driving out a demon he calls The Keeper, is remarkable in and of itself, yet was little more than another day at the office for the redoubtable Rev. Bob Larson.

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Tracked on August 29, 2007 at 01:15 PM

Comments

I think I still have recordings of Bob jammin' on electric guitar in front of a student body and a church group. Interesting to say the least. And you should hear his studio stuff.

Love this post! I've been looking everywhere for more Bob Larson "Talk Back" recordings. Does anyone have or know where to get other episodes from the 80's and 90's? I've only heard the Boyd Rice ones and would love to hear more...Thanks.

Another classic Bob moment is his debates with then frequent guest Boyd Rice. Bob would have him on Talk Back and attempt to align his callers against him. They would frequently side with the pleasant-voiced satanic fascist over mealy mouthed Bob, which would send him in a tither.
You can listen to many of them here:
http://www.boydrice.com/downloads.html

Be warned, though; the first one is the funniest and best. After that, both participants seem to be locked into their schtick, and the proceedings aren't nearly as entertaining.
I think Rice had a good thing going, where he presented a completely different impression of what a Satanist ought to act like. He came off as more genuine and appealing than this so-called X-tian who was opposing him. And - other than his sinister Nazi-like garb, looked more normal and pleasant than most, run-of-the-mill Satanist at the time (i.e.: no weird hair-like things, widow's peak, sinister eyebrows, bad dye-job, etc...). He looked and acted kind of like Ralph Reed.

I am a Christian but I've wondered somthing.Why do the possessed people on Bob Larsons radio show sound like their straight out of exorcist but then when you see him doing them live 100% of the time they sound like average normal people....this seems a little fishy does it not

There is a clip on YouTube that says Larson is a profieering con man,who lives high at the expense of donors.This ,from the Pasadena Fox News affiliate,no less.It has been up since December 30, 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75TsvDIzIZc
I like where he says he "doesn't remember" being a millionaire.

I have not heard too much of Bob since he came back,but what I have heard is pretty dull compared to his glory days of the 80s,and early 90s.That WAS great radio.I wish I still had the cassette that has the shows where Jello Biafra was on.If somebody could upload them.

I can't believe nobody here has mentioned this record that I have.This record looks to be made sometime in the late 60s,when our Bob was a callow youth.(The resemblance to Jimmy Olsen,as drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger,or Curt Swan,is uncanny.Right down to the jacket.)This little treasure is called "The Humorous Gospel Songs of Bob Larson".It is a pseudo-country/pseudo Lawrence Welk sort of thing,that Larson sold himself as a fundraiser,Most of the information on it seems to be derived from this page:
http://c.web.umkc.edu/cowande/ccp/larson.htm

There are at least two pressings of this out there.The one I have,is a private pressing,that Bob sold himself.It seems to have been reissued around 1972 on a label called Praise Records.I found mine about 1990 at a thrift shop,attached to a Catholic homeless mission,make of that what you will.These people http://www.sweet-music.com/sitelink1-54.htm have two copies listed,one is only VG,as well as a bunch of other records and cassettes,that I had never heard of,Apparently back in the 70s,Larson tried to make it as a Christian answer to John Denver,or something.

I've also been looking for more Talkback with Bob Larson, I have the boyd rice interviews, all five, the keeper one wasn't as amusing, there's also a couple of shows he did with a few metal bands, including "Gwar", and another one with rappers, can't remember which ones. I want to find more, it was freaking hilarious and like one of the posters said, Bob helped introduce us to D and D and other cool stuff, thanks Bob!!! Weird to say we miss Bob Larson, but I guess the most amusing are usually the most inventively outrageous.